The Windsor Police Service is preaching 'heightened awareness' as part of a new province-wide crime prevention campaign.
The 'Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda' campaign, spearheaded by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, calls on everyone to be aware of the simple things that can be done to protect their property and personal safety.
Along with heightened awareness, police want people to make it hard for would-be-thieves to strike.
Sergeant Steve Betteridge says no one wakes up thinking they're going to be the victim of a crime. "When it happens, when they think back about how could I have prevented this, that hits on our title 'Shoulda, Coulda, Woulda,' says Betteridge. So what we're trying to do is put the cart before the horse and just reminding people what are the things we can do to help prevent."
"When it comes to your personal property, don't make it easy to be a victim of crime," says Betteridge. "Car door lock it up. Car windows, we've had some unseasonably warm weather these days, but make sure they're up and secure. Same with your house, as spring approaches, back screen doors left open and so on, don't make it inviting."
The campaign has a list of the top 10 crimes or potential situations where victimization can occur.
That includes assaults, residential break and enters, cyber crime/identity theft, theft from vehicles and thefts from garages, lockers, sheds and mail boxes.